Daily Archives: June 13, 2012

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June 13, 2012

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False Teachers, II John

False Teaching is Immoral

         In II John 1:7-11 John brings us to the primary reason for his letter.  The verse begins with Greek word “hoti.” This word often shows a connection between the verses that follow and the verses that come before.  The connection here is that a failure to guard against false teachers will lead this “elect lady” and her children to leave the Christian faith. The truth and love are of the utmost importance. But there are many deceivers, men who will lead you away from the truth. These verses are important because they show how doctrine and the Christian life interlock. 
a.       The issue here is not a moral false teaching, but rather a theological one. The problem is not that false teachers are sexually immoral. But rather they are teaching that Christ did not come in the flesh. This is important because we often put theology and action in two separate spheres. A pedophile is wicked.  A moral man who denies Christ came in the flesh is not usually put in the same category.  But for John, a theological failure, especially one so closely connected to Christ and his work, is a moral failure. 
b.      To attack Christ’s person and work is a sin of the first order.  It puts someone in the category of “antichrist.” So many of the moral failings we see in society today, pornography, abortion, sodomy, etc., began with theological heresy, especially heresy about Christ.  The person and work of Christ ought to be our highest possession. Those who tamper with Him and his work are to be cursed.
c.       Like I John, II John gives us a clue as to who the real Christians are. Anyone who does not abide in the doctrine of Christ is not regenerate. They do not have God.
d.      John is telling the church that he is writing to avoid false teachers.  Unlike Adam, John is protecting his bride from the serpent.  He tells them to not give any official recognition to these false teachers. If they do they are sharers in their evil. This is an important truth.  It is not okay to give a public forum to those who deny Jesus or teach some heresy about his person or work.  You do not dialogue with heretics. You kick them out.
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June 13, 2012

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I John

Do You Act Like an Alien?

“Unfortunately the modern church has too often tried hard to avoid being strange. Modern Christians have adjusted to the world’s standards.  We don’t want to sound unscientific, so we find ways to reinterpret Genesis 1 so it fits with current scientific theory.  We don’t want to look odd, so we conform our fashion sense to that of the world, without considering whether or not God has something to say about our clothing. We don’t want to be uncool, so our tastes become identical to the world.  This makes things a lot easier.  There’s no conflict between the church and the world when the church imitates the world. We don’t seem alien and strange, as if we have come from another planet, but we are acting against our nature: we are children of God, children of the resurrection, but we behave the same as the children of the devil, as if we were still in the same old, dead flesh as everyone else.” (Peter Leithart, From Beyond the Veil, p. 115)”